Style Tile Sets

Now that back to school season is upon us; life is about to get very busy. Between classes, soccer practice, piano lessons, birthday parties, and more, your family life will only get busier. Keeping track of various family members' activities and commitments can be a challenge. Get ahead of the game this year and create a message board, or bulletin board, for your family to exchange notes, and leave important documents like permission forms, signup slips, invitations, classroom memo notes, and more. Choose a frequently used room like the kitchen or living room so that everyone will check the board on a daily basis.

There are many different bulletin board formats on the age of your family members and what kind of information you need to share. There are three common types of boards: cork, dry-erase, black chalkboard. Choosing which note taking surface fits you best depends on your preference. Cork boards are great to pin notes, so if you don't have a need to hand write notes, this would be the ideal choice. Whereas, choosing a dry-erase or chalkboard are versatile in that you can write, erase and write again.

You can find all of these available in many sizes and styles at your local department or craft store, but you can also make your own with minimal materials and effort. Note that if you do make your board you will need to buy accessories such as:

Hanging hooks

Nails

White chalk

Magnetic dry-erase pens

Push pins or thumbtacks

Basics of Building Bulletin Boards

Constructing your custom bulletin board for a wall at home is simple and inexpensive. The design of the bulletin board is only limited by your imagination since there are a plethora of options for constructing the perfect board. Whether you decided to make it a combination of cork and magnetic, you can find all the supplies at your local craft store or home improvement store and very creative ideas on sites like Pinterest. Below are instructions for building a fabric covered cork bulletin board for your house.

Measure the space in which you want to place the board. Decide on the right size and shape, leaving a little extra room on each side for borders, if you to not leave it frameless.

Using a slim cutting tool such as a Xacto knife, cut a roll of cork along pre-drawn lines that outline the desired width and length of the board.

Trace the outline of the board on a piece of fabric such as burlap, adding an extra two inches all the way around. Carefully cut out the fabric.

Lay the cork in the center of the fabric and staple or glue the edges around the back of the board. Let dry.

Turn over. Apply borders of cardboard, wood, or another firm material along the edges with strong adhesive.

Hang prominently in a high-traffic area to promote family communication.